Jess
by Fer Lyre
Summary: Why can't Jess just deal with it?


Disclaimer: Don't own any of the JQ team, am makin no money  
  
Jessie scrunched up her eyes as she entered the hospital corridor. Hospitals weren't exactly her favourite places, but this time there was reason to rejoice. Dacy had just given birth to Jessica's fourth grandchild. Jessie shook her head vigorously. It was almost as though the girl enjoyed putting her mother through this and deliberatly arranged to have children as soon as she calmed down. She paused for a second before pushing the door open to her ward. She placed her palm on the door and leaned her head against it.   
  
"You saw her?"  
Jessica turned her head to identify the speaker. Jon had made it to the hospital late. She forced a smile.  
  
"No, not yet. Can you believe, I still don't know if it's a he or a she?"  
  
Jon gave her an accusing look.  
"You should've been in the birthing room with her"  
  
Jessica shrugged nonchalantly.  
"Fourth child- didn't expect it to grow wings and fly away"  
  
Now Jonny had a look of disgust on his face. He pushed Jessie's hand away from the door and entered the room all-smiles. Jessica hesitated and followed soon after with a fake smile plastered on her face. Dacy was cuddled up on the hospital bed with four-year old Sarah and toddlers Ryan and Misty with a look only contented mothers could ever produce. Jessica blinked and the flitting feeling of nostalgia went away as soon as it had appeared. She looked towards Richard, who held a a small white package in his arms preciously. A small little package from god covered in muslin and handled as fragile as a china doll.  
  
  
"Mom! Dad!"  
Dacy's face broke out of her complacent reverie and was filled with joy at seeing her parents together. Her smile faltered however as she noticed the frigidness between them.   
  
"My baby! I can't believe I'm a granpa- AGAIN!"  
Jon laughed and kissed Dacy's forehead while scooping up Ryan and Misty in one arm. He ruffled Sarah's hair and bear-hugged everyone one of the children. Jessica smiled wanely and crossed her arms awkwardly, still standing near the door. Jon was now cradling the baby and making soft coo-ing noises. Dacy looked at her mother in concern.  
  
"Mom...?"  
Jessica looked at Dacy and gave her another one of her genuinely fake smiles. Dacy frowned. She knew the woman too well to fall for one of those. Jessica sighed inwardly. She supposed it was time to see the new addition to the family.   
  
She inched her way towards the beaming Jon and peeked at the small bundle he held. Jessica stopped breathing. It was beautiful- he, she- whatever it was. With tiny little toes and tiny little fingers and big shiny eyes trying to understand the new world it had come into. Jon looked at Jessica's face. There was hope yet. He gently handed her the bundle and she delicately arranged the baby so she could look at its face. She felt really embarrassed, asking for the child's gender now. Jon saw the traces of worry and instinctively covered for her.  
  
"They haven't named her yet"  
  
Jessica heaved a sigh of relief- to herself of course. So, it was another beautiful girl. It ran in the family. She gave the baby a finger to grab onto and cuddled it with love. Then the moment was over. She handed the baby to Dacy and settled herself into an armchair near the window. Three small heads made a bee line for her. Jessica looked at them. This wasn't right. When they looked at Jon, they hadn't even needed to THINK about their reaction. They were always happy to see him because he was always happy to see them. But with her, it was an entirely different case. They never knew what to say to her, or what to do. Sometimes, if work had her mind in whirl, she'd scream at them. Sometimes she'd be nice enough to bring home popsicles when they used to come over. But she never came over to them. Jessica Bannon didn't bend to anyone, not even her own daughter.   
  
Misty stuck her lip out in mock-thought and Sarah offered a smile.  
"Hello Ma'am"  
Jessica balked. Sarah called all the strange ladies Ma'am. The people with whom she had no definite relationship, or familiarity. Jess mulled it over in her mind. Well, true, she had asked Dacy to teach them not to call her Granma... but she'd never known they'd get this distant.  
  
She smiled weakly. Oh boy, she was going to regret this.  
"Sarah, honey..."  
Sarah looked at her through big innocent eyes.  
"Yes Ma'am?"   
Jessica took a deep breath.  
"Sarah, call me Gramma, please"  
  
Sarah beamed a toothy grin.   
"I sure will, Gramma!"  
  
Jessica looked up to Dacy, to see if she approved. Dacy was gaping at her, while Jonathon was giving her an 'it's about time' look. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. What the hell did she just do? She sure couldn't ask them to forget it now. Ryan squeezed into the remaining space in her armchair and Misty settled herself against one of Jessica's legs. Sarah had run back to Jon's arms.   
  
"Mom"  
Dacy clutched Richard's hand excitedly as he nodded.  
"Mom, I kind of have a favour to ask you. Well, two really"  
  
Jessica was growling inside. She wasn't going to saddle her with the god-mother act again, was she? She was already godmother to Misty and Ryan.  
  
"Sure, ask away honey"  
"Mom....... I would be totally honoured if you would name our fourth child"  
  
That stopped Jessica short. Now, THIS was something NICE. She looked at them suspiciously. She was still getting thrown the second-guardian crap, wasn't she? She smiled gratefully.  
  
"It already honours me Dacy. What was the second favour?"  
"Well... I was kind of hoping you'd watch the kids for me for a month or so"  
Jessica gaped. Jon frowned. *Not one of your best decisions muffin*  
  
Jess stuttered.   
"Wh-h....why?"  
Dacy looked disappointed.  
"Well, it's alright mom. You don't have to then. It's just that, Richard and me wanted to give this child a traditional Gypsy baptismal. I mean, I watched it done on the Style channel once, and it looked totally cool..."  
  
Jon rolled his eyes.  
  
"....and, see, to do that, we'd have to take her to Romania. And it takes weeks of rituals..."  
Jessica crossed her arms tighter. She was their 'Gramma'... and she owed Dacy this big time. Oh well, a week wouldn't hurt... maybe she'd ditch them at Jon's after that.  
  
"A... Romanian Gypsy baptismal, huh...? Well, sounds cool enoughto me"  
Jessica rolled her eyes mentally.   
"Anyway, I'd like to take care of the kids"  
  
Dacy was totally creeped now. This was completely un-Jessica behaviour. But, heck, a babysitter was a babysitter. She let out an uncalled whoop.  
  
"Woohoo! Good on yea mum!"  
Jessica winced.  
  
*****  
  
A week later, Jeremy had flown in from Chicago to see his new little niece. Jessica had left as soon as possible for her California retreat estate. All this sentimental reunion made her want to wretch, and she sure wasn't proud of it. She'd met her son and said goodbye to her daughter, and gotten out of the state as soon as she could.  
  
Jon had stayed.  
  
"Of course he stayed, the perfect father Jon. I mean, he's just so perfect, he may as well have made that family on his own"  
Jessica mocked her one-time love as she poured herself another glass of wine. Staring out onto the boardwalk beside her house as children of many ages bounced by happily. Jessica grumbled. Why were there little people everywhere?  
  
She drew the long drapes closed over the french windows and settled herself in her dark corner where she often spent many hours brooding. The only light that now passed into the room was the thin line of sunlight that creeped in from the kitchen. She flicked on the projection movie she'd left half-way when she left to catch the next flight out. Another bittersweet romance. It was all she watched these days. Just as she sank down enough to feel comfortable, the phone started ringing. Jessica uttered a profanity and threw a pillow at the phone. That didn't stop it ringing. The answering machine picked up soon enough, though.  
  
"You have reached the Bannon residence. This is Jessica Bannon of Bannon Technologies. Please leave your message with a contact number and I will get back to you as soon as possible"   
  
Beep.  
  
"Jess, pick up"  
Jessica made a face. It was Jon again. She yelled out to the phone.   
"I'm not here. Go away!"  
She sat silently for a while. Jon hadn't hung up.  
  
"I KNOW you're there and I think you're being bloody childish not picking up"  
  
Jessica threw her wine glass against the wall where it shattered in a brilliant display of spraying wine and glass shards. She stomped over to the phone and picked it up.  
  
"What"  
It was hardly a question. Over in New York, Jonny grated his teeth in frustration.  
"You're supposed to meet the children tomorrow"  
"I'm here"  
"I KNOW you're there. No-one told you to fly back so soon. You're going to have to fly over again"  
  
Jessica stayed silent like a petulant child.  
  
"Jessica, you are COMING HERE tomorrow, is that clear?"  
"No"  
"So what? You're just leaving three baby children alone?"  
"No, YOU take care of them"  
Jon's voice rose sharply.  
"You know, for ONCE, I'd like to see you try to deal with them! All you EVER do is run away. WHEN are you going to face up to your responsibilities?!"  
"They are NOT my responsibility Jon! I never ASKED to be thrown more children. You KNOW how I feel. I never asked to be a part of their lives. For all I care, my job of bringing up Dacy is DONE. I don't wa-"  
  
Jessica stopped short. Jon had slammed the phone down. She threw the phone away and marched back to her armchair, howling in pain as her foot caught a glass shard from the wine-glass. She hobbled to the chair and lifted her foot. Crimson drops stained the carpet and spread over the base of her foot. Luckily, no glass had entered her foot.   
  
She cleaned herself up and applied some bandages while she thought about what to do. He was right, as much as she hated, hated HATED to admit. She couldn't shirk her duties again. She'd always avoided them as much as possible. Besides, she had to meet the new baby again if she was to name it. She'd already unconciously picked up a few names. Daphne was such a pretty name- but she was afraid the child would be taunted about Scooby's redhead all her life. Avril was also a very pretty name, but Jessica didn't want her to be named after ANYONE famous. Which was going to be rather hard.   
  
Jessica stepped up to her full-length mirror. She didn't look that old, or at least she hoped. To be sure, 49 years had given her some aging wrinkles and dark circles, but all in all, she still looked like the same pissed off woman she was when she was in her 20s. Her harsh eyes had not softened one bit and her features still remained defined sharply. 


End file.
